DoorWays® Ministry Podcast

In this episode, Mike Atkinson and Ric Shields are going to get personal. They'll talk about pet peeves in communication and about a real struggle they have had in communicating with each other. Thanks for joining us on Season 2, Episode 9 as we talk about "Getting it Right."

In Season 2, Episode 8, Mike Atkinson and Ric Shields discuss some simple rules for effective communication. Whether in a corporate environment or when writing to a friend, these tips will help to engage your readers and increase readability of the things you write.

You're listening to Season 2, Episode 7. On this episode, we're going to have a follow-up conversation with Dusty Price, a formerly incarcerated woman who is serving Jesus wholeheartedly with their husband, Jack.  Mike Atkinson and Ric Shields spoke with Dusty on our previous episode and we wanted to add an important second part to that interview. Thanks for joining us as we talk about,...

"While re-reading the story of Jonah, I realized that I too had bought my share of tickets to run far away from God, and I was tired of paying the fare." Dusty Price wrote these words on her application for ministry credentials with DoorWays®. Those clearly written words are impactful, but the backstory makes them mean even more. What you may not know is that this epiphany about her life...

His heart was always bigger than the small town of Worthington, Minnesota where James Tims was born and raised. For such a small-town kid, he asked questions bigger than most of the others in our church where I served as the youth pastor. We grew to be friends and I always knew I could count on James to help and to have my back. Those big questions he asked led him to places neither of us ever env...

He is NOT the pastor of a mega-church, a large church, or even a big church. Joe Cook serves in one of America’s median-sized churches with an average attendance of around 70 people. But that doesn’t mean his church is unable to make a difference in both their community and the world. Thanks for joining us for this episode as we talk about “Small Church, Big Impact.”

Our guest on this episode is the principal of a virtual charter academy, and that keeps her pretty busy. She's a wife and mother of three children, ages eight, seven, and five. Last year, the seven-year-old read 1,003 books in four months. Just a couple of weeks ago, the five-year-old was putting together her first 100-word puzzle, and at the same time, the eight-year-old was dancing around t...

In the last podcast episode, Mike Atkinson and Ric Shields chatted about communication and things like knowing your audience, distilling your message, and the importance of listening. They're not experts, but have gained quite a lot of experience over the years they think is valuable to share.  They had a few more thoughts to share, specifically about the importance of eye contact. This episo...

Communication can be much like the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Sometimes there can be too much. Other times there may be too little. Our goal is to get to the point where it's just right. Join Mike Atkinson and Ric Shields as they share important communications tips meant to help us hit that sweet spot. This is the beginning of Season 2, and Episode 1 is called, "Communicati...

In our previous episode, Mike Atkinson and I had a great conversation with my brother Mike Shields, about order and structure of our private lives.  There was so much good material that we're going to follow up with him in with Part 2. We'll talk with Mike Shields about structure and communication. He'll give us an idea of how he and his wife, MonaRe', keep up to date with the...

Some ministers are driving themselves crazy, running from conference to conference and one meeting to another looking for someone to speak into their lives. Mike Shields says, "the challenge for the 21st century are leaders that know how to lead themselves." Of course, leadership isn't developed in a vacuum, so how does Mike and the team at the Christian Training Network provide the...

Your business has grown because you took faithful, measured steps. One day you wake-up and realize you own three stand-alone jewelry stores, employ 30 people, and ask yourself, "Am I my biggest liability? Will I be the catalyst that actually brings down what we've built?" There are ways to avoid that scenario, and Joel Wiland shares some simple tips to help. Joel and his wife, Kendr...

It's one thing to inherit money or property. Those are just legal transactions. Imagine inheriting trust. What may otherwise require months or years to build comes to you with the passing of a baton...or a mantle...in a transition ceremony. Now, all you have to do is keep it, but that is no small order. Ben Grams is the president of a Bible School with 1,300 students in Buenos Aires, Argentin...

Has this ever happened to you? It seems like the things you touch somehow turn to gold. Clients are happy, business is growing, sales are through the roof. And then, through no fault of your own, your business and others just like it, are crippled by a downturn in the economy. Your kids' college fund dries up. And about the time you are able to finally breathe again, a health crisis brings yo...

Here's something to consider. What do reading rocks and reality have to do with leadership? Well, as you listen to this podcast, we hope you'll be able to put those pieces together. 

How do you follow after a long-term leader? Especially when the one you follow was beloved and left a grieving congregation when he died. How does one do that? What are the first things you do (or don't do) when you become the new leader? And what steps do you take to make changes which will honor those who came before you but not lock you into the past? That's what happened with guest,...

We are privileged to speak with Jack Thorp, the District Attorney for Oklahoma District 27. His job is more than prosecuting criminal activity with the boundaries of his district. It also includes leading, training, and trusting his colleagues while bearing a justice-centered heart. Jack Thorp sees himself as a Romans 13 Servant for God who bears the sword of the government for wrongdoers, a prote...

Thanks for joining us on this 10th Episode of the DoorWays® Leadership and Influence Network podcast.  Today, Mike Atkinson and I are going to take a break from our typical interview format and talk about an issue that confronts us all – Contentment, Complacency, and Change. It’s a bit off the cuff, but you will also find it to be pretty authentic. We hope you will learn and grow from it. Pour you...

To say the ministry of Nate & Leah Nelson and Tred Dance is unique is an understatement. They explain it is a fusion of art and music that really didn’t exist when they stared it 15 years ago. Now, they’ve visited scores of countries, ministered to thousands of people, coached and mentored young people, and they aren’t done yet. But don’t visit their web site until after you’ve listened to thi...

It’s been said that God can work with failures, but he just can’t work with quitters. And sometimes, opportunities come our way that we have never considered nor have a plan to develop. Bridgette Tomlin is the founder of a ministry called Sanctuary Wives and hosts a podcast called “Let’s Talk with Sanctuary” that’s already in its 3rd season. She’s also a busy wife and mother of high schoolers but...

We’re pleased to have Ruth Dunn with us. Ruth is the Executive Director of Clinical Operations at the Oklahoma Cancer Specialists and Research Institute. She is a nationally certified oncology nurse and was a recipient of the Great 100 Nurses of Oklahoma in 2017.  With nearly 300 employees in her line of supervision, Ruth has learned some important things about leadership and how to promote a cult...

We’re happy to have Dr. Douglas Crawford, a faculty member in the Oral Roberts University School of Business Administration joining us today. In this episode, Dr. Crawford will share with us about adding structure to chaos through goals, roles, and processes. He’s also going to share “The Crawford 3 C’s” and speak about the importance of feedback. This is good stuff. We’re confident that you will...

What happens when you fall flat? Not necessarily a disastrous failure but maybe the next closest thing. How does one recover from that?  In Episode 5 we’re joined again by Gary Webb, the founder and director of OCJ Kids in Phoenix, AZ, In addition to talking about recovery from failure, we’ll also hear how Gary grows leadership in his staff and team of volunteers.

Rev. Gary Webb, the co-founder and president of OCJ Kids in Phoenix, AZ, is with us today.  We’ll  chat with Gary about their ministry to foster kids within the community and how their teams work to meet needs not previously addressed. While he says he doesn’t see himself as a leader, we’ll let you decide if that’s true or not.

Elizabeth Farina has been a nonprofit ministry leader for over 20 years. She provides unique organizational leadership giftings to ministry initiatives that enable her to lead other in developing stable foundations and lasting strategies. Last week, she shared with us some important tips for those who would like to grow in their leadership journey. The first principle was, “ Be Willing to Rise to...